Bluestocking Catalogue #22

Advice from four wise women; a gorgeous soup & bread pairing & reflections on identifying with secondary characters

Hi, everyone.

I don’t know about you, but I’m definitely experiencing some stir-craziness over here. I have a lot of indoor hobbies I adore and the time to devote to them - reading, watching TV, writing / journaling, knitting, baking - but yesterday I wandered around the house listlessly. I’m in a funk, I told Noah, and then I called my sister and de-cluttered/ organized some drawers while we talked.

It’s helpful for me to remember that post-Christmas winter is always a tough season for me mental health wise (probably due to seasonal depression & nothing to look forward to in the near future.) But also, this is just a really difficult time. I wrote something this morning that isn’t quite ready to be shared, so instead of an extended reflection here at the top, I’m going to offer four posts from women I look to to help me make sense of the world.

1. Sarah Bessey’s newest public post: “I hate doing the work.” Sarah Bessey has truly shepherded me through her words for years. I respect her so much and subscribe to her paid Substack. Here’s a brief quote from this post:

   Perhaps it is when we most feel futile, small, and angry that our small and steady and particular work matters the most. It’s a small candle set in the dark room, enough light to see by as we continue to contend for shalom and for our neighbours.

2. Please just click over and read this whole thread from @PantsuitPolitics:

   pantsuitpolitics

   

   A post shared by Sarah & Beth (@pantsuitpolitics)

3. Nadia Bolz-Weber’s “Sunday Prayers” (again, click over to read the rest):

   sarcasticlutheran

   

   A post shared by Nadia Bolz-Weber (@sarcasticlutheran)

   4. I encountered the following poem this morning on my Instagram feed, and it is a good word at the right time:

lizelayne

A post shared by liz lamoreux (@lizelayne)

TL;DR: Everything is so hard right now. You are not alone.

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What follows are two pairings: soup & bread, and two seemingly disparate novels that share some interesting threads. (The book links are affiliate links.)

A Fantastic Soup + Bread Combo for Cold Winter Nights

I’m a big fan of soup in the winter, especially when paired with fresh bread. What’s not to love?

This week, I made this “creamy gnocci soup with rosemary bacon”, and it was quite tasty. We didn’t have kale on hand, so I substituted frozen (creamed, actually) spinach & it worked just fine. I do love my InstaPot, but I made this on the stove top in a dutch oven I bought from Aldi for $30 a few years ago.

This recipe did take a longer to make than my ideal dinner recipe, which is usually no more than 30 minutes of active prep time; for this soup, I was in the kitchen for an hour. If I had prepped a little bit ahead of time (made the bacon or cut up all the veggies), it likely would have been a shorter process. I made it on a night I wanted to de-stress by cooking and listening to my audiobook, so I didn’t mind the time. The soup was DELICIOUS.

I made this simple no-rise Irish Soda Bread recipe to pair with it, and it’s the best soda bread I’ve made yet (I don’t mean to be dramatic here - this is the third recipe I’ve tried.) I didn’t add raisins or currants, and it didn’t need them. I didn’t take pictures because we were too busy dunking this bread into said soup.

Identifying with Secondary Characters

A compare/ contrast of two novels I read this month

I really enjoyed reflecting on my reading last year and sharing favorites with you all. That reflection has motivated my reading progress this month, which has been almost entirely fiction read on my Kindle. (Would you be interested in hearing at some point about my thoughts on the Kindle vs. physical books? Let me know.)

I just finished two solid novels: What Alice Forgot (which I listened to an audio) and The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue (the latter was recommended by fellow bibliophile AJ.) Although these books differ wildly in terms of setting and tone, both play with time creatively, and in both I found myself identifying more with the secondary character than the protagonist. I can’t remember the last time I experienced this strong of an identification with secondary characters, although I’m sure it’s happened before. Both secondary characters are consummate supporters/ helpers/ care-givers who suppress their own stuff for the sake of others. One is an HSP. One is an oldest sister. Both are sympathetic, fleshed out characters with complex feelings and nuanced choices.

Heads’ up: in my analysis of both books, I’ve tried to steer clear of spoilers, although I do reveal the premise of each (which you uncover in the first few chapters anyway.) Proceed as you wish.

Novel #1 is What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty, who writes about family relationships in a very compelling, real way (perhaps because she’s the oldest of six siblings.) In this book, I resonated with the big sister Elizabeth, who struggles with the dual guilt of feeling that she should be there for her little sister Alice, while also wishing Alice was there for her. On top of that, Elizabeth feels guilty for her desire to be supported. In the novel, Elizabeth and Alice have reached mid-life and have allowed small griefs to accumulate and topple their trauma-induced intimacy. Elizabeth struggles to open up, but desperately wants Alice to see her. Alice struggles to know how to be there for her sister, since Elizabeth has always been the caretaker and has distanced herself.

In What Alice Forgot, different characters exemplify different relationships to time. Alice’s sister Elizabeth is grasping her dream of the future, which is keeping her miserable in the present. The grandmother character Frannie is holding onto the past. Alice’s memory loss forces her to be relentlessly present with her life as it is without the context of the near past to make sense of it. We learn that before her memory loss, Alice was trapped in both the past and the future. She had one foot in the past and one foot in the future, which left her bitter, flailing and out of synch with the present. The transformation offered by Alice’s experiences throughout the book help her (and those around her, including Elizabeth) gain a fresh perspective on life and find the freedom to live fully in the present tense of their lives. (My one critique was that I thought the epilogue shouldn’t have been an epilogue; I wanted it to be the last chapter.)

In the Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab, our protagonist Addie has made a deal with the darkness that allows her to live freely for as long as she wishes, but in exchange Addie becomes practically invisible. People forget her once they walk out the door. Addie can’t say her name or write her own story. Throughout the book, Schwab switches between the past and the present, which works well by helping us connect Addie’s past life with her present. Because of the uniqueness of her situation, this book reads like a primer on what makes life worth living:

You discover what you can and cannot live without, the simple necessities and small joys that define a life. Not food, not shelter, not the basic things a body needs—those are, for her, a luxury—but the things that keep you sane. That bring you joy. That make life bearable (Schwab.)

Like in What Alice Forgot, I related most to the secondary character, Henry, who is a highly sensitive empath. He feels everything deeply and spends a good portion of his life trying to numb his feelings. His longs to be loved and accepted for who he is, and feels like a failure for not accomplishing more in the world. I can’t discuss more Henry without giving too much away, but his character’s interactions with Addie are this beautifully nuanced contrast to the interactions in rest of the book.

Both authors deftly employ multiple narrators, which may be why I resonated so strongly with the secondary characters of Henry and Elizabeth - they actually had a voice of their own in the story. I’d recommend these novels for not only for their prose and protagonists, but for their fleshed-out secondary characters.

Frothed Milk at Home How-to

Last but not least: My sister Kat sent me this video yesterday, and I tried it this morning with warm milk. It made a perfect cafe au lait. It’s not coffee-shop-worthy foam, but it’ll do.

thishouse5000

A post shared by Elena (@thishouse5000)

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That’s all I’ve got today. I hope you’re OK over there. Much love. 💙